


Aiming Class

by ried (riiiied)



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-10
Updated: 2013-11-10
Packaged: 2018-01-01 00:53:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1038404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/riiiied/pseuds/ried
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mikasa takes archery lessons from Sasha. Futurefic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Aiming Class

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Dayadhvam](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dayadhvam/gifts).



Mikasa stood with her feet shoulder width apart, her eyes focused straight ahead at the makeshift target painted on the barrel. Gripping the bow on her left hand, she inclined it slightly as she took the arrow in her right hand closer to begin positioning it on the bow. She raised her eyes again, together with her hands, toward her mark – she was never not confident with the precision of her aim, with how her hooks always landing where she wanted it whenever she went about with the 3D manoeuvring gear. However, pulling a bow was incomparable to pulling the trigger of the gear, and she did not had the years of experience she did with training to use the gear.

But she'd got herself a teacher who did.

“Easy now, Mikasa.” Sasha was standing slightly behind on her left, watching her every move. Mikasa acknowledged her, not with a verbal reply or even a nod, but by carefully drawing the bowstring and aiming it at the mark – focus was always emphasised on during their training sessions, and no better way to show that she was paying attention than to practice what she was told to. Having marked her aim, she released the arrow, letting it fly away from her. Her eyes traced the trajectory of its flight, up until it landed close to the rim of the barrel.

Mikasa held her stance for a few seconds after the arrow had stopped before lowering her arms. “My aim wavered again,” she said as she examined the result of her last shot. A few arrows were already struck onto the barrel, closer to but not quite at the centre.

“I think you still did great!” Sasha called out as walked closer. “You are consistently hitting the target area now without falling short or swerving significantly. For someone who has only been learning for as short as you have been, that is already a great amount of control!” She continued enthusiastically.

Mikasa glanced over to her left. "Is that so?"

“A-ah, I did not mean that as a backhanded compliment!” Sasha waved her hand frantically, flustered at Mikasa's inquiring tone. “I am sure you can do much better in time. I'm just impressed you managed to progress this far in such a short time,” she continued with a grin.

“It's okay, I didn't take it as a slight at all,” Mikasa said, shaking her head towards Sasha before glancing back at the practice target. “But it definitely would be good if I could improve my accuracy even further.” She paused in thought for a second, then turned towards Sasha another time. “Could you show me an example again?”

“Huh?” Sasha asked back instead, caught slightly off guard by the request.

“I think I've followed everything you told me to do, but something still seems to be missing.” She extended her left hand towards Sasha, as if to offer her the bow. “Maybe if I watch you doing it instead, I might be able to figure it out more easily.”

“Ah, sure,” Sasha answered as she received the bow. Mikasa passed her the sling containing the arrows before stepping back to let Sasha take over the shooting spot.

Sasha took a deep breath in and out before starting to ready her stance. Mikasa watched carefully as her now-instructor went through the motions, now already quite familiar to her – yet there was always something new she noticed every time she looked at it more and more closely. For example, just how focused she is at the target, seemingly deaf to anything else yet actually very much alert; the fluidity of her motions, as if it was second nature to her, or probably it actually was; most of all, the grace she possessed throughout the process, firm and strong but not tense, and the way she held her stance even after the arrow had left the bow to struck surely at the bullseye, the breeze blowing through her hair doing nothing to hinder her precision – if anything, the light swaying of her ponytail and skirt only added to the already captivating sight.

Mikasa didn't even realise she was staring until Sasha finally dropped her arms, turned to her, and nervously called out, “So, um, was that any helpful to you at all?”

Suddenly pulled out of her thoughts, Mikasa cast her sight lower just as quickly. “Y-yeah." She tucked a piece of hair behind an ear, thinking of a suitable response – she certainly did get something out of the display, though probably not what she had in mind when she first asked for it.

Sensing her unease, Sasha's nervousness only grew, her body lurching slightly forwards with her arms crossed behind. “Um, I'm sorry if it wasn't actually of any use. I should have provided a better demonstration too-”

“That's not it,” Mikasa interjected. “You gave a perfectly fine example.”

“Is... that so?” Sasha asked, sounding slightly timid.

Mikasa nodded. “So far you've been a good teacher. So, thank you, Sasha.”

“A-ah, you flatter me too much!” Sasha forced out an awkward laugh. “I am not that good of a teacher, you are just a really fast learner. You should give yourself more of the credit.”

“No, you're the one who should give yourself more credit,” Mikasa shook her head. “Even the best student wouldn't be able to learn anything if not for a proper teacher.”

Visibly flustered, Sasha lowered her head. “Ah, thank you.” An awkward silence hung in the air for a moment before Sasha spoke again. “I guess, even after all this time I'm still a bit surprised that you would ask me to teach you anything? I mean, you're you, the top in our graduating class and now one of our best soldiers, and I'm-”

“Sasha.”

“Huh?” Sasha turned up to see Mikasa walking towards her. Stopping a few steps in front of her, Mikasa reached out to grab Sasha's right hand with both of hers. Sasha blinked once, twice, a bit surprised that Mikasa was advancing this close, her ever sharp gaze only compounding to her presence now that she was only mere steps in front.

“Sasha.” Mikasa brought her hands up to chest level. “You're far more capable than you give yourself credit for. I definitely could always learn something from you. Also, isn't this in particular part of a honoured tradition for your lineage? You should continue to be proud in it.”

“Yes, of course. That is why I still continue to practice it,” Sasha smiled, noticeable more relaxed. “Thank you, Mikasa.”

They stood like that for a little more time, before Sasha became more aware with their current position and looked down at her hand and flushed slightly at the sight. “Eh...”

Suddenly also more aware of what she had done, Mikasa quickly opened her hold and dropped Sasha's hand. “Sorry.”

“Y-you don't have to be, it's no problem. Actually,” Sasha's face grew a shade deeper, “it was pretty nice.”

“Oh. Good then.” Mikasa tried to avert her gaze, not exactly sure how to reply. The air between them was a little more awkward now, with Sasha seemingly wanting to say something but not wanting to at the same time, and Mikasa herself just standing there in place.

“Anyway,” Mikasa finally broke the silence, “would you continue to teach me after this? I've been enjoying these sessions with you so far.” Her lips curled ever so slightly in a smile.

Seeing that, Sasha finally relaxed again and answered with a smile herself. “Of course.”


End file.
